"Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me..." Mary glumly sang as she watched the trees go by while taking in the scenery from the windows of the tour bus.

The reds, yellows and golden greens outside were vibrant, yet the scenery could not rival her broken heart. Autumn was a beautiful season that ushered in a change from summer to winter. Despite all of the splendid scenery, it could not quell the sting of being recently single on your twenty-fifth birthday.

Funny how it was her dream vacation up until two days ago when Brian left. Instead of canceling the trip, her two college friends, Alice and Thad, and her best friend Mikey accompanied her to ease the heartache. The friends figured sampling every local brew, they came across would help her get over him.

But the highlight and main reason were to see Cardezza castle with her own eyes. All the stories her mother told stories were vague but pleasant. It is the ancestral home of her father, and both her parents lived there until her mother migrated to the United States.

Mary's mouth was dry and her head throbbed because of a slight hangover from the last pub so she stopped and quieted down. Her best friend was dozing off and Alice and Thad's PDA made her a little jealous so she averted her eyes. Finally, the bus came to its destination, a quaint hamlet. They parked outside an inn somewhere between Germany and the Netherlands.

"I thought you said this ride was only going to be a couple of hours!" Alice read the name tag before she stormed off the bus. "Marvin, your sightseeing company is going to hear about this."

"Careful, you don't want to piss off the guy." Thad teased her. "He might lose your suitcases."

"And what kind of a name is Marvin? It doesn't sound very German to me. You look like you're from Great Britain and you sound like Ringo Starr."

"Maybe he is. It doesn't matter. He knew all the best drinking spots and so far the alcohol has been good." Thad took her by the shoulders and planted a kiss on her irate mouth.

"We could have stayed home and drank imported beers." Alice pouted while in Thad's arms.

"It's for the experience," Mikey remarked as she stretched. "But don't get me started on the blue water toilet and the winding roads... I still have to pee."

Mary laughed, it was obvious that they were in good spirits although her besties were all complaining. She did a full turn to take in the sights.

"Half off pints, just mention my name," Marvin called back to them as he unloaded their suitcases.

Thad lead the group inside and pointed at him. "Thanks, Chief!"

***

"American trash..."

The tour guide shook his head as he leaned against the bus, watching the friends through the open tavern window. There wasn't a tip large enough to make up for the last few hours of his life. At least he did his part and she was there.

His associate, an older man in his fifties, emerged from the inn and crossed the street. He had skin like leather and jet black hair pulled into a thin ponytail. They watched the friends in quiet contemplation. It was only a handful of people outside so they could speak freely.

"It couldn't have been that bad, Marv."

"Those Americans are the worse," the tour guide huffed. "Blondie and short stuff, made out most of the time, the front seats will have to be hosed down and the other one almost blinded me with her camera flash and then went on and on griping about pulling over because of the blue water was sloshing around." He pointed towards the brunette in the group daintily sipping a pint of amber ale. "But there she is."

"So that's her, huh?"

"Yes, Johnathan that's her." The tour guide smiled. "At least she's the pick of the litter, but that's not saying much."

A giant of a man covered in thick hair approached them. They sensed his presence but chose not to face him. He stopped beside them, leaned in and looked at the Americans. The group stuck out from everyone.

"Which one is she?" He asked the tour guide. "Both brunettes fit the bill."

"Vik, that one in the middle."

"The girl appears timid. Judging by the rosary around her neck she's a Catholic, just like the rest of that family." Johnathan nodded. "We have the right girl even if she's not waving guns around. The pale skin, dark brown hair, and eyes are common among them."

"Let's get this over with quickly," Viktor rallied his associates. "Give the group another round and then make them the offer. She isn't going to turn down the opportunity to have a guided tour of the castle. If her friends are too drunk they can't accompany her."

Then Marv left the two other men and walked into towards the inn.

***

It was the chance of a lifetime. This guy had the key to the castle and offered to give her unauthorized access to the location since she was the last known blood relation to Lisandro Cardezza. Even though she felt awful, there was nothing in heaven or hell that could stop her from saying yes.

Thad and Alice disappeared during dessert and Mikey agreed to see the castle although she looked sick. But like a true best friend, she promised to take pictures to preserve the memories. Mikey hunched over in the seat aiming away from her feet hoping the odd feeling in her stomach was the espresso kicking in and not dinner coming up.

"I don't know about this." Mikey piped up when Mary sat down beside her. "Wouldn't the government have something to say about us poking around in a historic landmark like a medieval castle?"

"Oh c'mon and live a little. Think of all the great shots there. You can post a couple of the pictures to that photography group."

"But I don't want to wake up missing a kidney ...and wait who are those guys?"

Her eyes pointed directly at two men standing outside their window. Neither one looked familiar from the sea of tourists they encountered on their way there. They sat down in the back of the bus without saying a word.

"Mary, I thought it was only going to be us and the tour guide guy."

"He did say that other tourists will be joining us too."

"If they kill us, I'm leaving photographic evidence." Mikey popped off the lens cap from her camera.

"Hello," Mary smiled and waved to the men. But they looked away and did not reply.

"I really don't have a good feeling about this," her best friend whispered in her ear. "They are giving off major creeper vibes."

"Nonsense, everyone doesn't have to speak English."

"A smile is universal and everyone knows what hello means. I'm taking a picture of them. Say cheese!" She put her arm around Mary and took a selfie of themselves with the men in the background.

Mary looked around, the flash was noticeable and the pair had to have known that they had taken a picture of them. For an instant she caught the tall one looking at her but he looked out the window. Before she could introduce herself, four lofty towers came into view from over the darkened tree line.

"Welcome to Cardezza Castle or La Casa de la Cardezza," the tour guide announced.

The granite stone face was beautiful even in the darkness. Mikey pushed Mary out of the way, tore open the window and snapped pictures when the guide stopped to unlock the front gate. Mary peeked over her shoulder because she felt the men stealing glances in their direction again.

"We're here!" Marvin announced. As everyone disembarked, he rambled off a protocol which sounded less official and more like, don't touch anything because we shouldn't be here. He ended with, "You only have two hours to look around and again do not touch the priceless antiques."

Standing in the courtyard with only the five of them with the low light, felt eerie. But she still knelt down and rolled the cool dry soil around in her hand. Just knowing that her forefathers and mothers walked that land was overwhelming.

"Let's go inside, ladies." The guide ushered them into the residence. Mikey's camera was going a mile a minute although Mary continued to hold her up.

"Mary, I think we should we run away? This doesn't feel right."

"And where do we go? We're in the middle of nowhere. If we run away, we would have to avoid any animals out there and follow the road back to civilization, all in the dark. C'mon let's see where this leads. So far no one has done anything."

***

Now that she was there, Vik felt uneasy, but he had a job to do. He watched the girls huddled together as the one named Mary ventured around the room while lugging her friend. She clearly felt akin to the location.

"Excuse me, when is the tour going to begin?" Her voice quivered when she caught him looking at her.

Marc stepped in and answered her question. "I don't know the place, I was just given the keys, ma'am. Hurry along, we have two hours before I have to give the keys back."

"Wow, a suit of armor! I've never seen a suit of armor in my life." The girl raised her camera.

"In the other room, see, right over there, it's full of armor." Marv pulled the girl into the other room, effectively separating them. Now was his chance!

Mary stood looking at Lisandro's picture on the wall, the sign said it dated back to the 1400s. She stood transfixed; he could only imagine what she was feeling. He needed to seize the opportunity although he felt sympathetic to her.

This girl was ordinary, although the longer she was in his presence there was something below her mundane surface. Her Cardezza ancestors were exorcists and personally spearheaded the genocide of many preternatural creatures, which included his mother and half his pack. Even though she was just a tourist and not out to harm anyone she wasn't above the law. Blood had been shed and she had to atone for the sins of the past.

Inadvertently, he watched her. He couldn't do it; he was losing his nerve. Mary reached out to touch Lisandro's image but backed away. With her not looking at him, he gained some confidence and walked up behind her. A quick and precise hit and she collapsed. Exhilarating tingles went up and down his spine when she fell into him. Everything in Viktor told him that this was wrong.

***

Author's Note:

I'm editing, looking for a great spiffy cover and I update Wednesdays.